bopuc/weblog

Awesome song. Have you heard the Stan Rogers recording?

It's quite the story too. It's made up of course, but the setting is real. After the Americans won the War of Independance the Brits were pretty peeved, so they issued licenses to Canadian- and Caribbean-based ships to work as privateers -- basically, royally sanctioned pirates.

The line "We’d fire no guns-shed no tears" refers to the fact that most victims of privateers gave up their loot without a fight. (Privateers took the loot by wouldn't sink the ship or kill the crew unless there was a fight -- unlike pirates, who would do that whether you fought or not). Occasionally, however, the ship being attacked would fight back, and that's where this sad story comes from.

You know, I grew up in Sherbrooke, and I never knew what that song had to do with the town. I mean, it's inland and everything, and I don't think there's another Sherbrooke, since it's named after some colonel.

Well, Michel, you know.. that may just be the point no? If you were off on some mission from hell on the high seas, and had yer legs smashed off in the process.. wouldn't you rather be in Sherbrooke too?

;)

Also, it may just be that the narrator is from Sherbrooke? Who knows. :)

Oh, I understand that, but Sherbrooke was such a little town at the time, which is why I can't understand why it appears in the song.

I reckon the song is referring to Sherbrooke, Nova Scotia.

aye, me boys, thee song is aboot sherbrooke, nova scotia, make no mistake, as much as i wish it was aboot our own, being a townshipper meself... but ill shed no tears--the song is a beaut!

i heard this song in my favourite tv series "due south" (3rd season) when paul gross sung it... it was very cool in the context!

gillian welch makes reference to "the staggers and the jags" (and rhymes it with rags) not once, but twice on her great album "time - the revelator" (in "april 14th" and in "i dream a highway"). pretty nifty.

You know, someone could make an adaptation of this to express the disillusionment and resentment of the American soldiers in Iraq. It would probably be more effective than all the editorials written about the war.

Actually, the song is not referring to Sherbrooke the town, but Sherbrooke the ship. See the following link for a discussion of this:

http://stevebriggs.superb.net/stanrogers/songs/bp-sng.html

Cheers!
Matt

How can that be since the song says "in Sherbrooke"? It would make more sense for a person to say "on a boat", not "in a boat". You also state that a family members lives IN a certain town, state, or country, not ON.

methinks ben has never been to nova scotia :)

they sort of have their own language out there.

I think this song is AWSOME! I remember when I was 8 and my dad printed it of the computer and we drove my mum crazy trying to memerize it!

what are "jags"?

staggers and jags is an ol sayin meanin somethin akin to the heebie jeebies.the cook's on the scuppers which are holes in the deck of a ship fer drainin water and he's heavin' hes lot,so its a fine place to be wit the condition such as he's afflicted.

A local band used to play this tune at a bar in Prairie Du Chien Wisconsin on the Mississippi River back in the early 80s.
I was certain that if I visited Halifax it would be playing in SOME bar. My husband thought it beyond wishful thinking. We were in Halifax in 1997? Or was it '98?
But, lo and behold, we happened upon a living history/reenactment festival with folks in authentic garb and what might they be singing!
My internet search for these lyrics is for the purpose of passing on to a friend who's visiting Halifax next week. Thanks for posting!

This song is really good=) Theres heart in this song.